Hello,

I have about 1000 sq ft of red oak hardwood flooring. It has its typical small animal scratches, dings, other scratches, duller areas, as well as other areas that look very shiny new. The floor has never been recoated, and I bought the house a few years ago. I know it's time to do something to the floor, at least a buff and coat, but I am getting conflicting opinions from experts on what to do. I have been told by the previous owner that the floor has never been waxed, but there was a renter there for a year so who knows if he tried to clean them with possible the wrong method? I was told that a buff and coat probably would not yield a failed finish based on what I know about the maintenance of the floor, but that the floor was "getting there" and I should recoat it soon. I was told by another flooring professional that the buff and coat may or may not work based on a few small areas where dirt has gotten into the floor, but he thought that once again the buff and coat should work fine anyway. I wouldn't mind a complete refinish for the beautiful results, but obviously a screening would be much easier and less expensive. What would you suggests for a nealy 10 year old floor that has never been recoated? Sorry for the long post.

Have you looked into the TyKote system, from Basic Coatings?? No sanding.

I'll check out the tykote. I guess you're saying it would help make a new coat bond?

Ty kote won't resolve the areas where the finish has worn through (where it looks "dirty" now). Neither will buffing and coating for that matter.

If you can afford it resand your floor. Maintenence coats should have been applied long ago before ANY of the finish wore through. Then again if it's only one or two spots and and you can live with them just do the buff and coat.

If the floor isn't stained you may find someone who can just resand your worn areas and blend them in with a final buff and coat over the entire floor. Stained floors are much more difficult to match.

Thanks Stonewood for the advise. I am leaning towards refinishing the floor. With some duller areas where there is not as much finish do I take a risk in waiting? Is it something I should do now, or do I have a few years? If I plan on refinishing I woudl like to wait to get more out of the floor (I have young kids, etc) before I strip it and start fresh. I guess my concern woudl be if there's little finish then staining or what not could happen.

Eric,
The longer you wait, the more surface must be sanded down in the worn areas.
You waited too long already and now have a problem. Please don't make it worse by continuing to wait.
The sooner, the better... simple as that.

Thanks for the advice Ray. So then would you advocate complete refinishing?

tomorrow would be good.

Ray,

"Tomorrow would be good" for refinishing or is a buff and coat in your estimation adequate?

Eric think of it this way. If the color of your floor is as you would like. Then buff and re-coat. Think of it as basically clear coating the appearance of your floor as it is now. If however there are stains in your floor you would like to see disappear...then resand is your only option.

His question was concerning complete refinishing. If he has worn spots, it is time for a "complete" refinishing. To me, that means sand/refinish.

He can try to repair areas if money is tight to protect the wood suface by hand sanding and re-coating as suggested earlier.